Patents Represented by Attorney Penny A. Clarke
  • Patent number: 8205500
    Abstract: An ultrasound inspection system is provided for inspecting an object. The inspection system includes an ultrasound probe configured to scan the object and acquire a plurality of ultrasound scan data. The inspection system further includes a processor coupled to the ultrasound probe and configured to apply a transfer function to the ultrasound scan data to compensate for distortion of a plurality of ultrasound signals through the object and thereby generate a plurality of compensated ultrasound scan data, and to process the compensated ultrasonic scan data to characterize a feature in the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yanyan Wu, Edward James Nieters, Thomas James Batzinger, Nicholas Joseph Kray, James Norman Barshinger, Jian Li, Waseem Ibrahim Faidi, Prabhjot Singh, Francis Howard Little, Michael Everett Keller, Timothy Jesse Sheets
  • Patent number: 8196871
    Abstract: A micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) based aerodynamic actuator is configured to modify a shockwave boundary layer interaction and limit incident boundary layer growth caused by a reflected shockwave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Carl Murray, Anurag Gupta, Seyed Gholamali Saddoughi, Aspi Rustom Wadia
  • Patent number: 8184767
    Abstract: An imaging technique is provided for acquiring scatter free images of an object. The technique includes acquiring a plurality of projection images of the object using a source and a detector oriented at a plurality of projection angles relative to the object, and generating a plurality of scatter free projection images by correcting the plurality of projection images based on respective ones of a plurality of stored scatter images. The scatter images are generated and stored for each of the projection angles by positioning a scatter rejection plate between the object and the detector. The technique further includes reconstructing a three-dimensional image of the object based on the scatter free projection images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Debasish Mishra, William Robert Ross, Thomas James Batzinger, Manoharan Venugopal, Forrest Frank Hopkins, Nityanand Gopalika, Vamshi Krishna Reddy Kommareddy, Rajashekar Venkatachalam, Prasad Thapa
  • Patent number: 8177513
    Abstract: In one aspect, a method for assembling an outlet guide vane is provided. The method includes providing an outlet guide vane frame having a first side and a second side. The outlet guide vane includes a radially inward flange coupled to a radially outward flange by a leading edge. A trailing edge is coupled to the radially inward flange and the radially outward flange aft of the leading edge. A cavity is defined between the radially inward flange, the radially outward flange, the leading edge, and the trailing edge. A first and a second mating surface circumscribe the cavity on the first and second sides respectively. The method further includes coupling a filler portion within the cavity wherein the filler portion includes a third side and a fourth side, coupling a first skin to the third side and the first mating surface, and coupling a second skin to the fourth side and the second mating surface, wherein at least one of the first skin and the second skin are fabricated from a composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Dong-Jin Shim, Scott Finn, Apostolos Pavlos Karafillis, William Howard Hasting, Arjan Hegeman
  • Patent number: 8179132
    Abstract: A method for integrating a measurement device for use in measuring a machine component includes providing a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) and combining eddy current (EC) capabilities and CMM capabilities to form an inspection probe. The method further includes installing the inspection probe on the CMM so that the inspection probe measures external boundaries of the machine component with the CMM capabilities and substantially simultaneously measures at least one of internal boundaries, internal defects, surface defects, and material properties of the machine component with the EC capabilities, which are directly linked to actual component dimensional information provided by CMM. The inspection data can be simultaneously linked to and/or displayed with a CAD model to enable a direct comparison between the inspection data and the nominal requirements specified on the CAD model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Yanyan Wu, Thomas James Batzinger, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Changting Wang, Haiyan Sun, Francis Howard Little, David Paul Lappas, David Michael Dombrowski
  • Patent number: 8177474
    Abstract: A method of detecting rubs during operation of a turbomachine comprising at least one rotating object having a tip and a shelf is provided. The method includes generating signals representative of a sensed parameter and processing the signals to generate height versus time data for the tip. The height of the tip corresponds to the distance between the tip and the shelf. The method further includes monitoring the height versus time data, in order to determine whether a change in the height data exceeds a threshold value, and detecting a rub of the rotating object(s) on a second object, when the change in the height data exceeds the threshold value. A rub detection system for a turbomachine and a turbine engine system with rub detection are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Emad Andarawis Andarawis, William Lee Herron, Samhita Dasgupta, John Harry Down, Mahadevan Balasubramaniam, David So Keung Chan, David Walter Parry
  • Patent number: 8138694
    Abstract: A bidirectional buck-boost power converter 13 including a pair of inverter modules 14, 15 disposed at an output of a machine, and an inductor Lo connected between the pair of inverter modules 14, 15. A method for controlling a voltage output of a machine starter generator having an inverter rectifier and bidirectional buck-boost converter, includes outputting a dc voltage controlled by bidirectional buck-boost pulse width modulation (PWM) switching control, when the starter generator is in a generator mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert Louis Steigerwald, Luis Jose Garces, Matthew Christopher Bringman
  • Patent number: 8134345
    Abstract: The disclosed technology is a cryogenic static exciter. The cryogenic static exciter is connected to a synchronous electric machine that has a field winding. The synchronous electric machine is cooled via a refrigerator or cryogen like liquid nitrogen. The static exciter is in communication with the field winding and is operating at ambient temperature. The static exciter receives cooling from a refrigerator or cryogen source, which may also service the synchronous machine, to selected areas of the static exciter and the cooling selectively reduces the operating temperature of the selected areas of the static exciter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James William Bray, Luis Jose Garces
  • Patent number: 8127732
    Abstract: A laser beam ignition system for an internal combustion engine is provided. The laser beam ignition system comprises a laser configured to generate a laser beam, and a beam steering unit comprising a lens and a prism both configured to cooperatively transmit the laser beam to focus on an oxygenated fuel mixture supplied into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. A beam steering unit and a method for igniting a fuel mixture in an internal combustion engine are also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Herbert Kopecek, Nirm Velumylum Nirmalan
  • Patent number: 8131107
    Abstract: An anomaly detection method includes acquiring image data corresponding to nondestructive testing (NDT) of a scanned object. The NDT image data comprises at least one inspection test image of the scanned object and multiple reference images for the scanned object. The anomaly detection method further includes generating an anomaly detection model based on a statistical analysis of one or more image features in the reference images for the scanned object and identifying one or more defects in the inspection test image, based on the anomaly detection model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Zhaohui Sun, Ali Can, John Charles Janning, Robert August Kaucic, Paulo Ricardo Mendonca, Joseph Manuel Portaz
  • Patent number: 8123886
    Abstract: A method is described for making a composite laminate formed by curing a stacked structure comprising at least two layers of strips of fibrous material impregnated with resin, wherein the strips in adjacent layers have different directional orientations. An apparatus is provided for simultaneously separating a band of fibrous material impregnated with resin into strips and depositing the strips between adjacent pin rows of a pinmat to form the stacked structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mark Ernest Vermilyea, Bowden Kirkpatrick, Philip Alexander Shoemaker, Terrence Paul Vernes
  • Patent number: 8120915
    Abstract: A heat sink is provided for directly cooling at least one electronic device package having an upper contact surface and a lower contact surface. The heat sink comprises a cooling piece formed of at least one thermally conductive material, where the cooling piece defines at least one inlet manifold configured to receive a coolant and at least one outlet manifolds configured to exhaust the coolant. The inlet and outlet manifolds are interleaved and are disposed in a spiral arrangement. The cooling piece further defines a number of millichannels disposed in a radial arrangement and configured to receive the coolant from the inlet manifolds and to deliver the coolant to the outlet manifolds. The millichannels and inlet and outlet manifolds are further configured to directly cool one of the upper and lower contact surface of the electronic device package by direct contact with the coolant, such that the heat sink comprises an integral heat sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Adam Gregory Pautsch, Satish Sivarama Gunturi, Patrick Jose Lazatin
  • Patent number: 8116936
    Abstract: A system for collecting and storing performance data for an engine is provided. The system includes one or more sensors configured to generate sensor data signals representative of one or more engine data performance parameters. The system further includes a data sampling component, a data quantizing component, a data storage sampling rate component, a data encoding component and a data storage component. The data sampling component is configured to sample the sensor data signals at a data sampling rate. The data quantizing component is configured to generate quantized data samples corresponding to the sampled sensor data signals. The data storage sampling rate component is configured to determine a data storage sampling rate for the quantized data samples, based on an analysis of at least a subset of the quantized data samples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John Erik Hershey, Jeanette Marie Bruno, Brock Estel Osborn, Naresh Sundaram Iyer, Charles Larry Abernathy, Michael Dean Fullington
  • Patent number: 8112172
    Abstract: A method for extracting gash parameters of a cutting tool, comprises positioning the cutting tool on a moveable stage, scanning two or more gash sections of the cutting tool to generate two or more gash section scanning point clouds, indexing multiple points of the gash section scanning point clouds, detecting multiple gash features using the indexed gash section scanning point clouds, projecting multiple point clouds of the gash features of the indexed gash section scanning point clouds to form one or more projected gash feature point clouds, identifying one or more types of the one or more projected gash feature point clouds, segmenting the one or more projected gash feature point clouds based on the type identification, and extracting one or more gash parameters based on the segmentation of the one or more projected gash feature point clouds. A system for extracting the parameters is also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Tian Chen, Kevin George Harding, Steven Robert Hayashi, Xiaoming Du, Howard Paul Weaver, James Allen Baird, Xinjue Zou, Kevin William Meyer
  • Patent number: 8101898
    Abstract: An optically powered MEMS gate driver includes a photovoltaic converter configured to receive a light signal from a light source and output a DC supply voltage for a MEMS gate driver in response thereto. The MEMS gate driver further includes a DC to DC converter electrically coupled to the photovoltaic converter and configured to output a line level DC voltage in response to the DC supply voltage. An electrical circuit, also included as a portion of the MEMS gate driver is electrically coupled to both the photovoltaic converter and the DC to DC converter is configured to receive the supply voltage and the line level voltage and to output a line level drive signal in response thereto. The optically powered MEMS gate driver is self-contained within a common EMI enclosure thus providing isolation between the gate driver and command signal electronics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Glen Peter Koste, Kathleen Ann O'Brien, Kanakasabapathi Subramanian, John Norton Park
  • Patent number: 8083467
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling rotating bladed machinery by using a source of pressurized gas is disclosed. The source of pressurized gas, such as air, imparts braking torque on a turbomachinery component through the use of one or more impinging orifices or jets. The orientation of the jets is such that the transfer of momentum from the pressurized gas results in a force substantially opposite the direction of rotation of the turbomachinery component. This transfer of momentum from the pressurized gas allows for a controlling torque to be applied to the turbomachinery component without the need of mechanical and/or electrical devices applying torque to the rotating shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Karl Edward Sheldon, Michael Anthony Shockling
  • Patent number: 8083413
    Abstract: A compliant hybrid gas journal bearing includes compliant hybrid bearing pads having a hydrostatic recess and a capillary restrictor for providing a flow of pressurized gas to the bearing. The bearing also includes an inner rim adjacent the bearing pads, an outer rim and a damper bridge between the inner and outer rims. The damper bridge has an axial length that is less than an axial length of the bearing pads and the outer rim to form a damper cavity on each side of the damper bridge. An integral wire mesh damper is situated within the damper cavity on each side of the damper bridge. Integral centering springs are located between the inner and outer rims to provide radial and rotational compliance to the bearing pads. The oil-free bearing design addresses the low damping and low load capacity characteristics that are inherent in present day compliant air foil bearing designs, while retaining the compliance to changes in rotor geometry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Bugra Han Ertas
  • Patent number: 8056793
    Abstract: A friction surfacing apparatus and method for depositing one or more metals, metal alloys, or other materials is disclosed. The friction surfacing apparatus includes a pin tool holder, a non-consumable shoulder having an inside diameter and an outside diameter, the inside diameter terminating at an end wall and includes an angled side wall that forms a substantially frustoconical opening at one end, and a consumable pin tool coupled to the pin tool holder and at least partially protruding from the end wall of the shoulder. The shoulder is maintained at a predetermined distance from a surface of a workpiece such that the consumable pin tool deposits pin tool material onto the surface of the workpiece during a friction surfacing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Timothy Hanlon, Jason Bernard Fritz, Jeffrey Jason Bernath, Alexander Banning Channell, Jonathan Paul Blank, Sergey Eduardovich Kalabekov, Jonathan Robert Hootman, Timothy Joseph Trapp
  • Patent number: 8056606
    Abstract: A composite element is provided. The composite element includes a ceramic component defining a cavity having a first end and a second end, and a metallic component that includes a head and a body. At least a portion of the body of the metallic component is disposed in the cavity, and the head of the component is disposed on the first end of the cavity. A cross-sectional area of a portion of the body is greater than an area of the first end. In addition, the ceramic and metallic components are interlocked. Methods of making a composite element and of making a clearance sensor part are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Wayne Charles Hasz
  • Patent number: 8045181
    Abstract: An inspection system is provided. The inspection system comprises a light source, a grating, a phase shifting unit, an imager, and a processor. The light source is configured to generate light. The grating is in a path of the generated light and is configured to produce a grating image after the light passes through the grating. The phase shifting unit is configured to form and reflect a plurality of phase shifted patterns of the grating image onto an object surface to form a plurality of projected phase shifting patterns. The imager is configured to obtain image data of the projected phase shifted patterns. The processor is configured to reconstruct the object surface from the image data. An inspection method and a phase shifting projector are also presented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Gil Abramovich, Kevin George Harding, Ralph Gerald Isaacs, Guiju Song, Joseph Benjamin Ross, Jianming Zheng